Although often considered a splurge, subscription boxes can be quite the little life-savers. Say you always forget to buy razor blades until it’s too late (read: you’ve got serious razor burn)? There’s a subscription box for that. Never remember to eat breakfast in morning and feel totally drained by noon? There’s a subscription box for that. Or maybe you never have anything fun (cough, cough, educational) to do with your kids on a rainy day. Yep, there’s even a box for that. While you can’t possibly sign-up for them all, we’ve rounded up the top-rated options to help you make the best choice.
9. Birchbox: If you're someone who hates browsing through shelves at the local beauty supplier, Birchbox is the perfect subscription service for you. Just fill out a survey to help the service customize the selection based on your personal needs and sit back. Each month, you'll receive five deluxe sample-sized hair, beauty and skincare products tailored to your personal preferences. Every item comes with a how-to guide so you can easily test out different products. Once you've discovered your favorites, you can buy their full-size versions from Birchbox's online store.
So there is one thing you need to remember about a few of these monthly subscription boxes, like Allure. Some offer a reduced first month rate but then will renew at a normal rate once the first month is over. That’s why it’s super important to turn off the auto-renew option on any boxes that you know you won’t want to subscribe to on a monthly basis.
free_dominionThe #bespokepost black box. Not too exciting. A slim wallet I was excited about until I saw it was made of cheap leather and what looks like carpet pad. A terribly dull pocket square. Hot sauce, a key loop, a $10 coupon only good if you spend over $75 ($10 gift card would be much better. I could give that to a friend, drumming up more customers). I do like the tea tree products. I already use tea tree hair and skin moisturizer, and these little bottles of shampoo and conditioner are just the right size to drop in my Norton leather dopp bag for traveling. Overall, very meh.
How Hard Is It to Cancel? If you’re not sure whether a box is a good deal for you, you could plan to try it for a month and then decide. Liz Corry of My Subscription Addiction, speaking with RetailMeNot, says nearly all subscription boxes offer a month-to-month subscription plan. However, canceling your subscription can be tricky. Some services, such as Birchbox, allow you to cancel your subscription online; others, such as Julep, require a phone call to customer service. Also, many sites are set up to automatically renew your contract whenever it expires, unless you call in time to cancel it.

Looking for the best monthly women's subscription boxes? Our comprehensive list includes brands big and small, for all interests and budgets. Some of our favorite (and most highly rated) subscription boxes for women include FabFitFun (one of the winners in our Subscription Box Awards), POPSUGAR Must Have; and online personal stylist brand Stitch Fix.